BOMBS OVER STOCKHOLM

June 1, 2014

It is a normal night, I just said goodnight to my family and I am having a good nights sleep. Suddenly I am awakened by a huge blast and the smashing of glass. My heartbeat stops for a minute, I am in shock and I don’t know what’s going on. My first thought is of my family so I run to check on them. We turn on the TV and the news report says a bomb just went off on our street. This is what happened to me in Lebanon a couple of years ago.

What if it happened here, and our only choice was to flee this country for another?

As much as I love being inspired by beautiful looks and fashion, I feel like there are more things I want to share/talk about with you. This week has been a dark week, not only for Sweden but for many European countries. Racism is at its worst for as long as I can remember. Muslims and roma people are being targeted and the attitude towards immigrants is scary. People are being attacked on a daily basis because of their looks or beliefs, and statistics show there’s a growing tide of hostility in Europe. If that wasn’t bad enough, some of our leaders wear swastika symbols, and suggest getting rid of all non-europeans using the ebola virus. (Do you think european people are immune to it?) Unless we make things change it will only get worse.

The racism going on in Europe sickens me. I have never felt so left out or frightened by what’s to come as I am today. Reading all the hateful comments online, and not knowing who may or may not have voted for a party that wants to expell me and my family from Sweden. I am not surprised, history always repeats itself. But what on earth makes you extremists think you are better or more worthy than anyone else because of how you look or where you were born? I did not chose to be born in Sweden, I was fortunate to be born here. At least that’s what I thought until now. Today I feel unfortunate, disappointed, disgusted and angry that I live amongst ignorant people that can’t see further than their own ego. Considering how well educated people are in the western world, I find it surprisingly odd I have to defend my rights as a human being. I know that people turn to these parties trusting they have all the answers they are looking for, and simply blame all of societies problems on immigrants. Isn’t that what we always do? Blame the weak and defenseless. There are no legitimate worries concerning immigration, but of course there are things that can be improved.

Sadly, parties that have been supporting further immigration are being wiped out while right-wing parties that are anti-immigration are being voted in. But why is that? Why are people so worried about it? What people don’t seem to understand is that if right-wing parties take power, the damage is going to be massive. No one should have the right to decide who lives in their country or not, because the world is for everyone. The politics are going back to the thirties, and look where that got us. What’s happening is unacceptable, I don’t want to live in a Europe where the far right extremist has such a voice. I am ashamed that parties like the Sweden Democrats have their first seats in the European parliament, even if ‘only’ 9,7 percent voted for them, it’s 9,7 percent too much. It’s a shame people are ignorant, thinking only about themselves. The whole point of the EU is to be united, yet you want the opposite? Go ahead and be naive, but this is 1930 all over again, and it wont just affect muslims or people different from you, it will destroy our planet. The world is not made up by ”us” or “them”, its made up of 7 billion people, on the same fucking rock. So stop the hate and prejudice and educate yourselves. Learn why world war two happened.

And those of you who defend these neo-nazi parties, please stop? Yes, you have the right to an opinion, and to express yourselves, and I respect that. However, one of the foundations of democracy is that everyone should have equal worth, no matter your color, ethnicity, gender or sexuality. Racism, nazism, homophobia, xenophobia, sexism and fascism has never been, nor will they ever be, part of the definition of democracy. How could it when these far right parties are the least democratic parties you can find?

Even if you consider immigration a problem, you should be more worried about these new parties. Many of them have proven to hold alarmingly backwards views, violent and some even armed. Immigration has been their way of luring you into voting for them. Have you considered their ideas about homophobia, racism or sexism etc? The atmosphere in Europe has become poisonous. And I am sure these parties will even turn on their own people, but all I can say is, you voted for them and you’ll get to live with the consequences.